Avian Hosts for West Nile Virus in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, 2002

Komar, Nicholas; Panella, Nicholas A.; Langevin, Stanley A.; Brault, Aaron C.; Amador, Manuel; Edwards, Eric; Owen, Jennifer C.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2005.73.1031

Cited by 94 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…However, whether this is due to reduced host preference or to low survival of mosquitoes that select icterids for blood meals is difficult to determine. If it is due to low preference by vectors, then anti-WNV antibody prevalence in icterids would also be lower relative to preferred species such as mourning dove and American robin, which has indeed been observed in some studies (Komar et al 2005; Loss et al 2009). However, other serosurveys have observed high exposure levels in grackles relative to other species (Godsey et al 2005; Komar et al 2012, 2013; Morales-Betoulle et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Reduced West Nile Virus Transmission Around Communal Roosts of Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

et al. 2014

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West Nile virus has caused several outbreaks among humans in the Phoenix metropolitan area (Arizona, southwest USA) within the last decade. Recent ecologic studies have implicated Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex tarsalis as the mosquito vectors and identified three abundant passerine birds—great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), and house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)—as key amplifiers among vertebrates. Nocturnal congregations of certain species have been suggested as critical for late summer West Nile virus amplification. We evaluated the hypothesis that house sparrow (P. domesticus) and/or great-tailed grackle (Q. mexicanus) communal roost sites (n = 22 and n = 5, respectively) in a primarily suburban environment were spatially associated with West Nile virus transmission indices during the 2010 outbreak of human neurological disease in metropolitan Phoenix. Spatial associations between human case residences and communal roosts were non-significant for house sparrows, and were negative for great-tailed grackle. Several theories that explain these observations are discussed, including the possibility that grackle communal roosts are protective.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Reduced West Nile Virus Transmission Around Communal Roosts of Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

et al. 2014

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“…In support of the link between feeding patterns and the dispersal and decline of passerine migrants, the fraction of feedings of Cx. tarsalis from passerines (many of which are competent for WNV [ 20, 28]) decreased from 40.5 ± 1.9% of feedings in May through June to 20.0 ± 1.0% in July through September in Colorado (correlation with time: r = −0.90; n = 5 mo; p = 0.037; data from [ 17]). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

West Nile Virus Epidemics in North America Are Driven by Shifts in Mosquito Feeding Behavior

et al. 2006

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West Nile virus (WNV) has caused repeated large-scale human epidemics in North America since it was first detected in 1999 and is now the dominant vector-borne disease in this continent. Understanding the factors that determine the intensity of the spillover of this zoonotic pathogen from birds to humans (via mosquitoes) is a prerequisite for predicting and preventing human epidemics. We integrated mosquito feeding behavior with data on the population dynamics and WNV epidemiology of mosquitoes, birds, and humans. We show that Culex pipiens, the dominant enzootic (bird-to-bird) and bridge (bird-to-human) vector of WNV in urbanized areas in the northeast and north-central United States, shifted its feeding preferences from birds to humans by 7-fold during late summer and early fall, coinciding with the dispersal of its preferred host (American robins, Turdus migratorius) and the rise in human WNV infections. We also show that feeding shifts in Cx. tarsalis amplify human WNV epidemics in Colorado and California and occur during periods of robin dispersal and migration. Our results provide a direct explanation for the timing and intensity of human WNV epidemics. Shifts in feeding from competent avian hosts early in an epidemic to incompetent humans after mosquito infection prevalences are high result in synergistic effects that greatly amplify the number of human infections of this and other pathogens. Our results underscore the dramatic effects of vector behavior in driving the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans.

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“…Both systems, and particularly b-MIA, successfully detected neutralizing antibody titers within a range (50–800) that is typically found in birds with detectable WNV-neutralizing antibody titers. Komar et al (2005) cited PRNT 90 titers detected in wild birds to fall within a range of 40–320. Because we were successful in demonstrating the ability of both these techniques to detect WNV-neutralizing antibody in the small volumes of blood found in a mosquito blood meal, their applicability extends to other arboviruses as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methods for Detection of West Nile Virus Antibodies in Mosquito Blood Meals

Komar¹,

Panella²,

Young³

et al. 2015

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

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We describe and compare 2 qualitative serologic techniques for detecting West Nile virus (WNV)-specific antibodies in mosquito blood meals. The techniques are the biotin microsphere immunoassay (b-MIA) and the inhibition platform of the VectorTest™ WNV antigen assay (VecTest-inhibition). To demonstrate the ability of these tests to detect WNV-neutralizing antibodies, we experimentally exposed feeding mosquitoes to blood containing 5 concentrations of 6B6C-1, a flavivirus-neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Antibody concentrations were quantified using the 90% plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT90). After 24 h of blood-meal digestion at 22.5°C, the threshold PRNT90 titer of detection was ≤18 for b-MIA and ≤50 for VecTest-inhibition. Both tests reliably detected antibodies in 3 of 3 blood meals that had been digested for up to 30 h, or were about 25% digested. The b-MIA was also applied to mosquitoes that had engorged on avian blood in Arizona following a WNV epidemic in 2010. There was no significant difference in the WNV antibody prevalence determined by b-MIA (52% of 71 avian blood meals) compared to the WNV-neutralizing antibody prevalence in birds determined by direct sampling (49% of 234 birds). VecTest-inhibition requires fewer resources and may be used in the field without a laboratory, but consumes the entire blood meal and relies on subjective interpretation of results. The b-MIA requires a laboratory and sophisticated equipment and reagents. Results for b-MIA are analyzed objectively and can be applied to mosquito blood meals with greater confidence than the VecTest-inhibition method and thus can contribute substantially to research and surveillance programs that would benefit from the detection of specific WNV antibodies in mosquito blood meals.

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Avian Hosts for West Nile Virus in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, 2002

Cited by 94 publications

References 15 publications

Reduced West Nile Virus Transmission Around Communal Roosts of Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

Reduced West Nile Virus Transmission Around Communal Roosts of Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

West Nile Virus Epidemics in North America Are Driven by Shifts in Mosquito Feeding Behavior

Methods for Detection of West Nile Virus Antibodies in Mosquito Blood Meals

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